Lead Investigator - Canary Wharf, Cardiff, Sale or Wakefield

Independent Office for Police Conduct

UKonsite$38k-$43k/yrPosted Jul 19, 2026
Posting intelligenceActively listed

About the role

Details

Reference number

472227

Salary

£37,596 - £42,726

Salary of £37,596 plus London Weighting Allowance of £5130 for roles based in Canary Wharf

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

GBP

Job grade

Other

Contract type

Permanent

Type of role

Investigation

Working pattern

Full-time

Number of jobs available

15

Contents

Location

About the job

Benefits

Things you need to know

Apply and further information

Location

Canary Wharf, Cardiff, Sale (Greater Manchester) or Wakefield

About the job

Job summary

Our Investigation teams cover all of England and Wales, and carry out hundreds of independent investigations every year, often under extreme pressure. Our investigators are supported by a range of teams who do a huge amount of work to support them. You can about the investigations on our website.

As a Lead Investigator, you will lead all aspects of an investigation, from setting out the initial terms of reference, to collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses, drawing conclusions, and writing a final report, many of which are published. Reports also include recommendations for the police force or Police and Crime Commissioner about actions to be taken to improve practice and prevent mistakes in the future. Therefore, it is imperative that you take a ‘cultural knowledge accountability’ approach to your work, so that you produce rounded and robust outcomes. After the investigation, investigations staff are responsible for supporting criminal, disciplinary and coronial proceedings which may follow.

The nature of the work requires investigations staff to participate in an out of hours on call function for which an appropriate allowance is paid under IOPC policy.

Job description

Leading independent investigations into criminal and misconduct allegations in accordance with agreed IOPC guidelines.

Undertaking investigative actions, including interviewing and taking statements, preparing case files and making recommendations for criminal and/or disciplinary action.

Visiting incident scenes and supervising scene management where required to ensure that all necessary action is taken to preserve and recover evidence.

Writing investigation reports upon completion of the investigation for submission to the IOPC decision maker.

Identifying potential learning for police forces to consider improving the service they provide and prevent harm to the public.

Please refer to the Job Description for full role responsibilities.

Person specification

ssential Experience

Conducting investigative interviews, evidence gathering, analysis and presentation.

Evidence of effective oral and written communication skills.

Evidence of excellent analytical and report writing skills; ability to reach and document clear, rational, evidence-based, and independent decisions based on analysis of existing and emerging information.

Experience of engaging effectively with a diverse range of people and stakeholders, and evidence of a commitment to equality and diversity within the workplace.

Delivering a high standard of work within demanding timescales.

Identification of operational and organisational risk.

Working effectively in a changing environment.

Full driving licence valid for driving in the UK

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £37,596, Independent Office for Police Conduct contributes £10,891 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides .

27.5 days paid annual leave (increasing with service to 32.5 days)

The option to buy, sell, or carry over annual leave is reviewed each year and offered when possible

Voluntary Health Cash Plan provided by BHSF

Civil Service pension

Civil Service maternity leave package

PAM employee assistance programme

Access to Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC) membership

Cycle to work scheme

Opportunity to enjoy the latest home and electronics in a more affordable way provided by Vivup

Car Leasing Scheme

Staff Networks focussed on each of the protected characteristics - run for staff, by staff: Enable Network, Age Network, Welsh Network, Pride and LGBTQ+ Network, Sex and Family Network, Race, Religion and Belief Network

Learning and development tailored to your role.

An environment with flexible working options

A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

**We are advertising separately for various locations. Please only apply for your first choice location and indicate your additional location preferences within your application.

Information sessions - optional

At the application stage, you are encouraged to join an optional information session, to learn more about the role and assessment process. Details of the joining instructions for these Microsoft Teams sessions can be found in the attached document.,

Briefing Session - mandatory

Later in the process, if you are shortlisted for the assessment centre, you will be required to attend a mandatory briefing session. This session will provide further information about the role, the training programme, and what to expect when in post.

Attendance at the briefing session is an essential requirement. Applications from candidates who do not attend will not be progressed, as it is important that all applicants have a clear understanding of the role and its requirements.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, to find out more, please click here.

We'll assess you against Experience and these Behaviours at Higher Executive Officer (HEO) equivalent level during the selection process:

Seeing the Big Picture

Communicating and Influencing

Working Together

For more information, please visit the role on the IOPC recruitment portal.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

UK nationals

nationals of the Republic of Ireland

nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK

nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020

Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles .

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

Apply and further information

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

Name : recruitment@policeconduct.gov.uk

Email : recruitment@policeconduct.gov.uk

Recruitment team

Email : recruitment@policeconduct.gov.uk

Further information

We are the Independent Office for Police Conduct | Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC)

Follow link to apply

Working for us | Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC)

Compensation

This Other role pays $38k-$43k/yr. Within typical range for other roles in United Kingdom.

Questions about this role

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